Is the Uttar Pradesh administration aware of the rights of the differently-abled? Are all its members sensitive to the capabilities of such people?
On a surprise visit to the Khadi Gramodyog Board’s Office in the state, UP’s Khadi and Village Industries Minister Satyadev Pachauri, unhappy with the state of cleanliness of the premises, called all the sanitation workers for inspection. Noticing that one of the safai karamcharis was different-abled, Pachauri said, “How are things going to be clean if you employ the crippled?”, using the derogatory term “loolhe langdon”.
Pachauri also checked whether the worker in question was a permanent or a temporary worker, what time he came to work, and how much he earned.
In spite of the incident’s being caught on camera, the minister has denied any wrongdoing.
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